Ford vs. Chevy: Cop-Car Showdown

Take a cop car out of the hands of Johnny Law and you’ve got yourself either a taxicab or one mean sedan with hot rod potential. It’s been like that ever since the 1960s, when OE manufacturers began to serve The Man some beef in the form of big-blocks, Sure-Grips, big brakes, and trick cooling. You know, Akroyd’s Blues Brothers rundown—you’d have been disappointed if we hadn’t brought that up.

Everyone wants one of the legendary, 440-powered ’69 Mopars, reputed to be the fastest squad ever. Sorry, that’s not happening for you. The good news is that late-model fuzzmobiles fairly well trounce anything from the pathetic late 1970s through the early ’90s, highway patrol Mustangs and Camaros notwithstanding. However, the newest Chevy Caprice PPV and Dodge Charger models won’t hit the auction blocks for a couple years, at least, and if you’re jonesing for the day you can score yourself a used, donut-stained Ford Taurus, then you might be reading the wrong mag.

1/501] This comparison is not apples to apples because both cars were fairly trashed to begin with, but they gave us a good sense of what’s on the market and how the cars have stood the test of cops and robbers.

The only practical, cheap, used cop sedan these days is the ’98-up Ford Crown Victoria. It’s only potential competition is the car it replaced: the Chevy Caprice. For a recent episode of our Roadkill video show, we decided to find out what happens when each of these cars is driven properly—which is to say, outside the law.

Caprice 9C1
Many Chevy models have carried the 9C1 option code, signifying the police model, and the best four-doors are the ’94–’96 Caprices. That’s a short, three-model-year run (after which the entire B-body platform disappeared), but the cars stayed in service forever, and agencies loved them so much that some had their Caprices refurbished, nearly doubling what would have been a normal term of service.

The ’94–’96 models are the ones to look for because they carry the LT1 V8, similar to what was found in Corvettes of the same years, though the Vettes had aluminum heads and the Caprice’s are iron. You want to avoid the small, L99, 4.3L V8 and make sure to get the 5.7L; they look the same, so check the engine-compartment decal or the option decal under the trunk lid. The ’94–’95 cars are OBD1, while the ’96s are the OBD2, which has proven easier to hop up. All the 5.7s are factory-rated at 260 hp and 330 lb-ft—though they probably made more than that when they were new—and have 700-R4 transmissions and 3.08 rear gears. Bone stock and near new, these cars were good for low 15s in the quarter-mile.

2/502] The ’04-up Ford P71s had an optional limited-slip, which our car had, greatly improving its performance over the wasted G80 Posi in the Chevy. Had both cars had two-wheel traction, it would have narrowed the contest results. Nevertheless, we could tell the Crown Vic was the better-handling car.

Being 17-plus model years old, it’s hard to find an LT1 Caprice that isn’t totally trashed. The major problems you’ll encounter with these are dead fuel pumps and failed Optispark ignitions.

Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
These get credit for the coolest police-package name ever, though they weren’t intercepting much when introduced in 1992, thanks to the weakling 190hp, 4.6L V8. In 1998, they were restyled and significantly cooler, but even by 2001 when better heads had been introduced, they still meandered through acceleration runs with 220–239 hp. You really want the ’04-up models with 250 hp, and though that sounds like it’s in the neighborhood of the Chevy’s output, the torque is less, and at higher rpm: 297 lb-ft at 4,000 for the Ford and 330 and 3,200 for the LT1. With the newer CVPIs, you get 3.55:1 rear gears and, if you’re lucky, a 4R75E automatic that hasn’t blown up yet; the trans is the car’s Achilles’ heel. The suspension and frame started to get beefed up in 2003, when rack-and-pinion was added, but the better buy is the ’06-and-up that has steel front control arms (the older ones are aluminum) and a few other upgrades like 17-inch wheels and a standard tach.

3/503] This proves nothing, but it’s radical fun. A little hard on windshields.

The last Crown Vic was made in September 2012. Gone was the last of the real, full-framed, American sedans.

Our Thrash Test
For our more-fun-than-science comparo, we picked up an ’06 CVPI with 101,000 miles on it for $2,500 and a 1995 Caprice 9C1 with 173,000 for $1,300. The mileage and the prices reflect the difference of 11 model years between the cars.

Our first exercise was, natch, an acceleration contest of a couple hundred yards. This was where we discovered the G80 Positraction rearend in the Chevy was totally 86’d and would only roast one tire (for a good long way, we might add). But even with a light-footed launch to avoid tirespin, the Chevy truly humiliated the gutless Crown Vic.

Next, we goofed off in a big parking lot, executing Rockfords, slides, and PIT maneuvers, and smashing trash cans for no apparent reason. This is where the Ford began to show its stuff, proving itself a better handling car with better brakes.

Finally, it was off to the desert for some bashing. We put BFGoodrich mud tires on the Chevy, thinking the terrain was going to be rocky and we’d need the puncture protection, but the narrow, aggressive tires proved a mistake because the terrain turned out to be Baja-level silt. The Chevy trans was also more finicky than the Ford’s in the soft earth. The 9C1 soaked high-speed whoops better than the Ford, but the Crown Vic out-handled the Caprice, just as it had on pavement.

4/504] Both cars withstood full-throttle punishment off-road for hours. Both cars are fairly bulletproof, though we did overheat the Ford to the point of limp mode.

Winner
We were predisposed to believe the Chevy was the badder-ass car. Indeed, its acceleration to any speed makes the Ford look like it’s chained to a tree. It’s also easier and cheaper to hop up, and more aftermarket parts are available. If you care, it beats the Ford in off-road whoop-de-doos.

It’s unusual for us to overlook such a glaring horsepower deficit, but we ultimately preferred the Ford because the chassis platform is more modern, the interior is far nicer, the brakes are more trustworthy, and it’s a cooler-looking car. As an added bonus, the P71s in the used-car market outnumber the 9C1s these days by 50 to 1, and they can be had in better shape with lower miles. Throw boost and another few hundred horsepower at the Crown Vic and you’d be standing proud.

5/505] The Chevy was the clear champ in the whoops.

So Ford wins our haphazard, hooning showdown. Disagree and want to set us straight? Or are you a Blue Oval guy and feel like gloating? That’s what the Internet is for. Display your superior intellect by commenting on our Roadkill show on YouTube.com/MotorTrend; just search for “Roadkill episode 12.”